MANILA, 23 March 2017: In honor of 50 years of growing ASEAN integration and progress, the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) presents the PROSPERITY FOR ALL SUMMIT—a one-day event focused on “Driving growth through micro and small entrepreneurs in Trade, Services and Agriculture”, happening in the City of Dreams, Manila, Philippines on April 28, 2017.

The establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) has created both opportunities and challenges for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region. Thus, the need to strategically equip MSMEs with the right tools has risen in order to enable them to engage in the increasing competitiveness of the business environment.

Last 2015, the 26th ASEAN Summit held in Kuala Lumpur & Langkawi, Malaysia exposed the need to put these MSMEs at the center of the ASEAN agenda. To address this need, the community is working to consolidate the efforts of enablers from the public & private sector in light of advancing MSME development and empowerment in the region.

“We’re expecting delegates from all of the 10 ASEAN countries to attend this momentous summit—along with the ASEAN-BAC members from other countries who are business leaders and innovators in their respective areas,” says the current ASEAN-BAC Chair, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion.

The PROSPERITY FOR ALL SUMMIT aims to pursue genuine and inclusive growth & prosperity for the entire ASEAN community. The whole-day event’s program is composed of keynote speeches from renowned ASEAN leaders and five main sessions, namely:

1. CREATING AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT IN ACHIEVING PROSPERITY FOR ALLGreat strides have been made over the years to support micro, small and medium enterprises but there remain to be many challenges in the path toward competitiveness and doing business across the region, especially in trade, services and agriculture. This session aims to discuss these challenges and surface efforts to make adjustments and institutionalize these through policy and new initiatives.

2. WHERE’S THE MARKET? STRENGTHENING THE ONE ASEAN MARKET TO ACCESS GLOBAL MARKETS
The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) offers a rich and complex array of goods and services that have been actively exchanged within the region for decades. Looking beyond AEC, this session aims to present the ASEAN Market as an economic powerhouse with continually growing global economic opportunities brought about by regional integration.

3. WHERE’S THE FUNDING? OPENING UP INNOVATIVE AND INCLUSIVE FINANCING OPTIONS FOR MICRO AND SMALL ENTREPRENEURSCritical in achieving genuine inclusive growth, the panel will facilitate deeper and broader understanding of innovative and inclusive options that address capital and operational funding for entrepreneurial initiatives. Their stories give clues on how accessible and viable these programs really are for micro, small and medium entrepreneurs.

4. HOW DO WE TRANSFORM? ESTABLISHING EFFICIENT BUSINESS PRACTICES THROUGH DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
Many technology platforms and process innovations to deliver goods and services are introduced to the market everyday at nano speed, but which of these are truly effective in changing patterns of doing and driving growth? This panel discusses recently introduced channels and disruptive technologies purported to be the “next big thing” and power the region’s accelerated economic progress.

5. CALL TO ACTION: INITIATING ASEAN MENTORSHIP FOR ENTREPRENEURS NETWORK (AMEN)As ASEAN Business Advisory prepares to launch the ASEAN Mentorship For Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN), a private-public partnership platform where mentors and world class teaching modules for micro, small and medium enterprise empowerment can be developed and actively shared among ASEAN Member States, this panel of senior executives and leaders will highlight the significance of mentorship for entrepreneurs in their bid for a successful, relevant and economically rewarding role in the AEC framework.

The PROSPERITY FOR ALL SUMMIT is expected to be a gathering of enablers from both the private and public sectors in view of MSME development. It will also be the initial meeting to lay out the blueprint for the ASEAN Business Advisory Council’s regional mentorship program, AMEN, and an avenue for leaders and heads of states to share their plans on achieving inclusive growth and prosperity not only in their own respective countries, but also in the region, collectively.

ASEAN-BAC Chair Joey Concepcion further discloses that “we (ASEAN-BAC) have invited all ten ASEAN state leaders from our neighboring ASEAN countries to participate in the exchange of best practices and initiatives for MSME development. It is no question that this coming together of all ASEAN nations to empower our MSMEs is integral to achieving prosperity for all.”

For additional information on the Prosperity for All Summit, please contact: (+632) 631-5001 or email info@asean-bac.org, or visit www.gonegosyo.net.